Step by Step by Simon Reeve

Author:Simon Reeve [Reeve, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Autobiography, Memoir, Biography
ISBN: 9781473689107
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2018-09-05T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Polo with the Corpse of a Headless Goat

We rolled out of Kyzylorda with sore heads, and trailed through one broken town after another in a Soviet-era Lada, on a dirt road and across rivers and waterways on makeshift bridges constructed from planks that appeared to have nothing but hope holding them together. On and on we travelled until finally we came to an isolated village where we found people dressed in traditional clothing and a large carpet laid on the ground outside a yurt. Bayan explained she had wanted us to see a traditional baby-naming ceremony, a very special occasion for semi-nomadic Kazakhs. The child himself looked none too pleased. He was bawling his head off.

Beyond the houses, I could see more of the traditional yurts and dozens of small horses saddled and waiting on a patch of open ground. I asked Bayan what was going on.

‘It is called kokpar.’

‘And what is kokpar?’

‘Ha! You will find out, Simon. Just you wait.’

I was mystified, but before I could quiz her further the family of the toddler asked Bayan if I would do the honour of naming their child.

‘Really?’ I said. ‘Are they absolutely sure?’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Bayan. ‘I think they have had some alcohol, but they are sincere, and your role is just ceremonial, don’t worry.’

It was a little absurd. They didn’t know me but were affording me a huge honour. I was discovering the power of travelling with a camera crew. Even in a remote corner of Kazakhstan being filmed by the BBC makes people think I must be important. It gifts privilege and access. Alcohol was thrust into my hand, by the villagers rather than by my team, and I tried to play to the gallery by giving a short but still faintly ludicrous and theatrical speech in which I thanked the people of Kazakhstan for their welcome, hospitality, history, culture, and possibly their weather, transport system and caviar as well. There was a surprising amount of applause, perhaps because the Kazakhs were used to ordeals, and I waved a scarf around as instructed and proclaimed the name of the baby, who continued to scream through the entire experience.

Then we had a few more drinks and waited for the mysterious kokpar to appear, or begin, or descend – it was initially a bit unclear. Meanwhile neighbouring villages had heard we were filming, and a large crowd began to gather. They treated us like a royal visit.

Finally Bayan explained the kokpar. It was a contest between two teams of men on horses (like polo without the champagne) where they would fight over the headless corpse of a goat. When I first heard that last bit I was sure something had got lost in translation.

‘Sorry?’ I said to Bayan. ‘The corpse of a headless goat?’

Bayan explained that kokpar is as old as Kazakhstan. Some think it was used by the Mongol hordes to train their warriors in the finer techniques of horse warfare. Goats are beheaded, disembowelled and soaked in water for a day or two to toughen them up.

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